PhD student Yik Tung Tracy Ling
Yik Tung Tracy Ling, a PhD student in mechanical engineering, was awarded first place in the 2018 ASME Master’s Level Paper Competition at the 8th World Congress in Biomechanics, held from July 8-13 in Dublin, Ireland.
Students from around the world submitted more than 600 abstracts to the competition. Ling’s winning paper was titled “Structural Characterization of Human Lamina Cribrosa and Its Correlations to Pressure-induced Strains.” The project aims to characterize the collagen beam network microstructure of the human lamina cribrosa (LC), and its correlations with pressure-induced strains. Lamina cribrosa is a load-bearing tissue that supports the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons at optic nerve head, and is known as the primary site of injury in glaucoma.
“The findings of the research – that variations in microstructure contribute to different level of strains, and in turn the biomechanical and biological support for RGC axons – may help predict the risk and progression of glaucoma,” explained Ling.
Ling received her BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. Currently, Ling is working in the lab of Vicky Nguyen, associate professor of mechanical engineering.